The present invention is generally directed to splints and, more specifically, to a method of providing custom splints. The custom splints can be used for any body part and can also be used to provide relief from carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis and other wrist and hand ailments.
In addition to the myriad of fractures experienced by people of all ages, millions of workers also find themselves experiencing hand and wrist pain on a frequent basis. Chronic pain can result in debilitating circumstances that drastically lower one""s quality of life. Fractured bones, carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain injury are some of the most common causes of chronic pain. Chronic pain can lead to depression, loss of livelihood, and scores of other secondary problems.
Allowing fractured bones to heal requires proper splinting of the body part. Custom splints are expensive and can be very time consuming to obtain. Additionally, health care networks don""t have any centralized way of providing custom splints to patients.
In connection with carpal tunnel problems, most people still suffer, and have learned the hard wayxe2x80x94after the physical toils and financial expense of surgeryxe2x80x94that carpal tunnel is a problem with no easy surgical solution. Originally, carpal tunnel was mainly experienced by elderly people who had worked hard their entire lives, and then retired to lower activity levels. In the mid 1950""s, Doctor George Phalen coined the term xe2x80x9ccarpal tunnelxe2x80x9d to describe their condition, which was thought to be a localized nerve injury at the hand and wrist. The paradigm concerning upper extremity nerve injury taught in medical schools was xe2x80x9call nerve problems in the upper extremities are carpal tunnel.xe2x80x9d Since these patients had surgery and, because of sedentary lifestyles, died at a fairly young age, the incidence of returning pain symptoms was low and surgery appeared to be a suitable cure to carpal tunnel syndrome. Dr. Phalen did not envision that the straightforward problem he diagnosed and surgically treated would become as complex to treat as it has become today.
Today, carpal tunnel surgeries are often performed with minimal attempts being made to provide a complete pre-surgical diagnosis and to provide patient education to find non-surgical alternatives. Doctors rarely consider recommending activity and lifestyle modifications. Up to thirty percent of patients have recurrent or continued problems with pain and dysfunction after surgery, yet in spite of this, many feel they cannot improve because they have already had corrective surgery.
In the past, the belief that surgery is the best option was often unquestioned. Employers and insurance carriers wanted to believe that there is a quick fix to carpal tunnel and repetitive strain injury. Surgery was encouraged and patients were not told of the failure rates. Today, the recurrence of painful symptoms after undergoing carpal tunnel surgery is thought to be as high as thirty percent.
Many people who have had surgery continue to be symptomatic, but their complaints fall upon deaf ears. Most go back to their work activities and are warned not to complain anymore, or their jobs will be jeopardized. They are told the numbness, tingling and upper arm pain that they experience are to be expected and that xe2x80x9cif you work hard, you are going to have some aches and pains.xe2x80x9d
The concepts of repetitive strain injury, tendinitis and carpal tunnel are misunderstood by many physicians and therapists. With the lack of knowledge and understanding of nerve injuries that permeates the medical community, patients are left to deal with the consequencesxe2x80x94the return of their daily pain. They fall through the cracks of a system devastatingly deficient in understanding and treating these diseases.
One difficulty with finding non surgical methods to treat carpal tunnel syndrome is the need to immobilize the joint during periods of rest. While generic splints are available for immobilizing joints, such splints may result in the joint being held in a less than ideal alignment. The xe2x80x9ccocked-upxe2x80x9d wrist position resulting from most store bought splints fails to immobilize the wrist in a neutral position. By providing a custom splint tailored to the exact dimensions of a patient""s hand, a time tested, side-effect free alternative to surgery can be used to obtain relief and healing. Custom splints also play an integral role when used with therapy and simple lifestyle modifications. One of the greatest benefits of a custom splint is that a custom splint can, in some cases, provide the needed relief to allow patients to consider non-surgical options. Unfortunately, few treatment centers have skilled personnel capable of making custom splints in a cost effective manner. Additionally, in most treatment centers, it is necessary for a patient to return for a second visit just to have the completed custom splint applied to the body.
It would be advantageous to provide a method of providing a custom splint that allowed a user to obtain a splint custom made for a portion of the user""s body; that could preferably be manufactured by a remotely located splint generating machine; that can preferably provide multiple splints in a cost efficient manner; and that preferably allows the splint to be shipped to a user after it has been manufactured.
Briefly stated, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of providing centralized custom splint production for a network of healthcare providers. The method includes: providing a plurality of scanning devices located throughout the network; scanning a portion of a person""s body for which a splint is needed to assemble at least one set of data representing an outer surface of the portion of the person""s body, the scanning is performed using one of the plurality scanning devices; transmitting a signal representing the at least one set of data to a splint generating device; producing a custom splint contoured to complement the portion of the person""s body.
In a separate embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method of making a custom splint for a portion of a person""s body. The method includes: scanning a portion of the person""s body for which a splint is needed to assemble at least one set of data representing an outer surface of the portion of the person""s body; transmitting a signal representing at least one set of data to a splint generating device; and producing a custom splint contoured to complement the portion of the person""s body.